Fiber May Help Protect Your Gut Against Infections

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Fiber May Help Protect Your Gut Against Infections
A diet rich in fiber from foods like vegetables, beans, and whole grains may reduce gut inflammation and help ward off infection with dangerous germs by promoting “good” bacteria in the digestive tract, according to new research.

“Previous work has shown that fiber is converted by gut bacteria into chemicals known as short-chain fatty acids, and these in turn can have a variety of health benefits such as reducing inflammation and maintaining the integrity of the gut barrier,” says senior study author Alexandre Almeida, PhD, a researcher at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Veterinary Medicine in England.

“We found that short-chain fatty acids showed the strongest protective signal [against the risk of infections], suggesting that fiber consumption could have a positive effect in this context.”

In addition, the study results suggest that eating more fiber to support beneficial bacteria may help crowd out harmful bacteria from the Enterobacteriaceae family, including Klebsiella pneumoniae (which can cause pneumonia and meningitis), shigella, and E. coli.

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